Kostas Manolas’s agent has said that his player will be staying at Rome until the summer, while revealing that Arsenal failed with a bid in the summer
According to LaRoma24, Manolas’s agent Ioannis Evangelopoulos also confirmed that the reports linking the Greek defender with Manchester United are true, while adding that the player would likely only move in the summer :
“There is no more news at the moment than what has been written in the newspapers – reports which, incidentally, are true,” he said, speaking to Greek radio station Sport FM. “I cannot give any assurances but probably there will be something happening in June. In football it’s difficult to make forecasts.”
He also revealed that Arsenal failed with a £35m bid for Manolas in the summer, after Roma demanded much more than Arsenal were willing to offer:
“I cannot say for sure where he wants to play next season but last summer Roma rejected an offer of £35 million from Arsenal,” he said. “What the Giallorossi were asking went way beyond what Arsenal were prepared to pay.”
Despite being linked with moves to several clubs, Manolas ended up staying at Roma and has gone on to be one of their best performers this season. Manolas’s consistent excellence at the back has helped Roma – who are in 2nd place by 4 points – keep the pace with league leaders Juventus, as they look to break the Turin side’s dominance on the Serie A.
Arsenal went on to sign Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for the same amount that they bid for Manolas after long-running negotiations, which means that they are unlikely to attempt to sign the Roma defender again in the summer.
Manchester United were reportedly ready to launch a stunning £50m bid for the Greek defender according to reports last week, in a bid to bring him to Old Trafford in January. It now appears that Manolas is going nowhere for the moment, if his agent is to be believed.
Jose Mourinho has been looking for defensive reinforcements as he looks to build a United side capable of dominating for years to come and at 25-years of age, the highly-rated Manolas fits the profile perfectly. A quick, strong defender who is equally comfortable in the air and on the ground, Manolas would fit in perfectly with English football.
While Mourinho might be content with Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones as his main central defenders for the remainder of this season, it seems highly likely that United will launch another bid for him in the summer.
